Swimming is an increasingly popular recreational activity. The popularity has been enhanced by a significant increase in the number of private and public swimming pools, lakefront homes, river front homes and ponds. Training can be safely started as soon as a child has developed sufficient muscle control to maintain an erect head posture. Many infants and toddlers are taught to swim between one and three years of age.
Although many simple flotation devices are available, a great need exists for an improved and effective training device which maximizes safety and progressively teaches proper swimming techniques. A child should always be attended, therefore, for a child""s pleasure and security the training device should be manually controlled for close monitoring by an attendant. The training device should also prevent a child from immersing his/her head, in the event the child is negligently left unattended.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an effective swimmer""s training device for children which provides maximum safety under all conditions. It is another object, in addition to the foregoing object, to develop proper swimming techniques and reduce the time for training a child. It is another object, in addition to the foregoing objects, to provide a training device which is fun to use.
With the foregoing objects in mind, the present invention is a highly effective device which prevents a child from actively immersing his head in water. The training device comprises a floatable body, a cradle pivotally connected to the floatable body, and a restraint system attached to the cradle. A bumper is provided to prevent injury if the child should fall forward and impact the floatable body. When the child is in a free position, the child is essentially upright with his head out of water. The floatable body has a high resistance to overturning. In a second aspect of the invention, outriggers and keels are provided for increasing the trainer""s resistence to overturning.
In employing the teachings of the present invention, a plurality of alternate constructions can be adopted to achieve the desired results and capabilities of the invention. In this disclosure, only several aspects of the invention are illustrated and discussed. However, these aspects are intended as examples and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention.
Further objects, benefits and features of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing detailed description and drawings of the invention. The best mode which is contemplated in practicing the invention together with the manner of using the invention are disclosed and the property in which exclusive rights are claimed is set forth in each of a series of numbered claims at the conclusion of the detailed description.